dm4t vs envy14... confused

Alright so i am going to be a freshmen in college and i need a laptop. i have been waiting for the release of the envy 14 but now that it is out i am not sure if it is the best choice for me. I dont ever do pc gaming i own a 24 inch 1080p monitor and an xbox360 that will be with me at my dorm. I want to connect the laptop to my monitor and watch movies on it. I do word processing and will be majoring in accounting and finance. I am torn because i am a bang for my buck guy but i also want a beautiful laptop that i will love to carry with me at all times. I have configured both the envy14 and dm4t and this is what i got

HP ENVY 14 customizable Notebook PC

EPP_00_VX756AV

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-430M Dual Core processor (2.26GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.53GHz
4GB DDR3 System Memory (1 Dimm)
320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics - For Dual Core Processors
14.5" diagonal HD+ HP Radiance Infinity LED Display (1600x900)
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
HP TrueVision HD Webcam + Dual Digital Integrated Microphones
Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
Corel(R) PaintShop Photo(TM) Pro X3 + Corel(R) VideoStudio(R) Pro X3
Full-size island-style backlit keyboard
8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Microsoft(R) Office Starter 2010
$1034

vs


HP Pavilion dm4t customizable Notebook PC

EPP_00_WD533AV

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-450M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)with Turbo Boost up to 2.66 GHz
4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
FREE Upgrade to 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
512MB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5450 switchable graphics
14.0" diagonal High-Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366 x 768)
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
HP TrueVision Webcam + Fingerprint Reader + Digital Microphone
Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
Full-size island-style keyboard
High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard)
Microsoft(R) Office Starter 2010
HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
$872

these prices are with discounts. and this doesnt include the 1 year accidental warranties i will be geting which on the envy is 159 vs the dm4t which will be 89 dollars.

things that discorauge me from going for the dm4t are that i have heard it has over heating prblem and on engadgets review they said they loved it but the touch pad is ty. I know the big thing with the envy are its screen resolutiona and graphics card and for what i will use it it seems like i wont need those things but i want my laptop to last me atleast 2-3 years.

 

Look here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...sed-hp-envy-14-vs-hp-dv6t-select-edition.html

 

Have you looked at the 13.3" Toshiba R700? 1.3kgs with a optical drive. Great price of engineering artwork.

US$800 13.3" Toshiba R705-P25 i3-350M 2.26 4GB 500GB W7HP *no expresscard slot*
US$990 13.3" Toshiba R700-S1310 i3-350M 2.26 4GB 500GB W7P +expresscard

R700's expresscard slot means could add a US$190-HD5670/US$250-HD5770 DIY ViDock if require accelerated graphics.

 

hmmm thanks for those suggestions from Toshiba one big thing about the new hop models is their styling, i am not a fan of the blue finish on the Toshiba but it is definitely nice looking. since its going to have to last me for a long time i think i want to go core i5. i was actually looking at these toshiba models because they dont have the dumb glossy lid finish but what turns me off is their lack of a discrete graphics chip while the hp models do have them. the thingness does entice me tho.

 

You don't game and your major use is WP and accounting? Why do you need a dedicated Graphics card? My wife does WP, accounting, and even Photoshop CS3 on a Core i3 Desktop.

HP Pavilion dv5t customizable Notebook PC EPP_00_WE887AV

•black cherry
•Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
•Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-370M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)
•FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
•FREE Upgrade to 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
•Intel(R) HD Graphics
•14.5" diagonal High-Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366 x 768)
•SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
•HP TrueVision Webcam + Digital Microphone
•Wireless 802.11b/g/n Card
•Full-size backlit keyboard
•6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard)
•Microsoft(R) Office Starter 2010
•HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
Estimated build date: July 12, 2010

Free standard shipping on this item

Price: $799.99
Discount: -$32.00
APP Price: $767.99 (Academic Purchase Program HP Academy)
Notebook instant rebate: –$100.00
Price after savings: 667.99

 

i considered the envyvand dm4t because they are thinner and lighter. thats a major thing with me i had considered the u30jc but it seems to be to thick

 

Majoring in accounting and finance, a laptop with a 10-key keypad will be very convenient for doing excel spreadsheets. Or you can just carry an external usb-10key.

If you only want "beautiful" laptops then that means you are looking at... Sony Z/E/F/W/CW, Macbook pro or air, HP envy, Dell adamo. -- Lenovo makes the best business notebooks, they are pretty in a businessy way, HP also have their elitebooks series. Asus laptops might not be pretty but they have quality parts and good support/warranty, including a free 1yr of accidental damage coverage. Hope this helps with your shopping.

 

Envy 14 - 14.01 x 9.33 x 1.09 5.2 lbs
Dv5t - 13.89 x 9.25 x 1.22 5.19 lbs

The Dv5t is a little thicker, but it is actually a little smaller and lighter in every other direction.

I need the screen.

 

i didnt know about the asus 1 year warranty thanks. i want a macbook with oit having to own a macbook as in i like the style but not the os, which is why the styling intrigues me.

 

well this is interesting on best buys website they have this asus for 700 dollars.
Asus - Laptop / Intel® Core™ i3 Processor / 14" Display / 4GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive - Black
it has a nvidia 310gpu and has the hdmi out and seems to only be 1.1 inches thick. alot less expensive and has the 14 inch screen which i perfer... seems like a pretty good deal if i wont be needing a core i5 cpu. so all asus bought from anywhere have a free 1 year warranty even if bought from bestbuy?

 

Just a heads up on that ASUS 1 year accidental damage warranty - if you buy from Best Buy, you are not eligible for the warranty, so if you want ASUS, look elsewhere - newegg, frys, microcenter, tigerdirect (compusa), etc. (Not that you were going to buy from Best Buy anyways )

Not sure how much battery life you need, but if you don't need switchable graphics, there's a wider range of options that would give you better bang for your buck. If you're just going to chain it to your desk and hook it up to your monitor to watch movies on and you don't use dedicated graphics anyhow, perhaps get a laptop without the dedicated graphics and save yourself some cash.

The Vaio S from best buy is metal with backlit keys (somewhat ENVY-like in its build), but its smaller and lighter, although it has no dedicated graphics. It does have Intel's Wireless Display so you can wirelessly beam its signal to a tv or monitor.

It seems like the benefits of the ENVY (switchable graphics, great screen, decent GPU) aren't worth the added expense for someone who doesn't use the GPU. Spend the money where you'll use it. If I know anything about my experience with college though, smaller and lighter with longer battery is key. I went into college with a 15.5" tank of a laptop that got me somewhere around 2 hours of battery life and ended up replacing it in 2 years for something that could actually accompany me to class.

In the end, really think hard about your needs. Is there a chance you will pick up PC gaming with all the free time you have in college? Are you going to bring your laptop to class to take notes? (If you are in a big school with big lectures, I'd say you'll eventually consider it at some point). To the library to do all that accountacy/finance group work? Figure out how much battery you need, how much horsepower you REALLY need, and whether or not you're ever going to use your dedicated GPU.

 

i thought i might pick up pc gaming but i have a xbox360 and with the multiple jobs i have right now trying to save up as much cash for college i never have time. i got excited for the asus because i have a friend who works in best buy who gets a discount on products but i haven't confirmed if he gets them on laptops. and amazon and newegg seem to have the older models of laptops while bestbuy seems to have Toshiba and asus more updated model with core i processors.

so lets refine my search. i want a metal type finish, i cant stand the glossy plastic. thin and light with long lasting battery. i love the vostro v13, but i don't want anything with older internals. at least a core i processor.

 

Why not consider the ASUS U30Jc? You can get the A1 configuration that's currently available for only $879.99 on Newegg (and there's typically no tax and only $14 shipping). It's got the 1 year ASUS accidental damage warranty, it's made out of metal, got a core i (albeit the A1 is an i3), a 310m with switchable graphics - so its got a bit of casual gaming muscle, but it won't eat away at your battery life at all, its a 13.3" screen so its nice and small. Also, got great reviews from CNET.

Newegg.com - ASUS U30JC-A1 NoteBook Intel Core i3 350M(2.26GHz) 13.3" 4GB Memory DDR3 1066 320GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce 310M

Asus U30Jc-A1 Laptop reviews - CNET Reviews

 

If you're not a PC gamer, then I would recommend the dm4. It's thinner and lighter, and therefore is a lot easier to carry around. I personally think the screen resolution is perfect (any smaller and I couldn't read anything!), and it's a very well-built laptop.

 

that asus is sold out. and yeah i am strongly considering the dm4 the only thing is i hear it has soem over heating issues and a bad track pad.

 

The envy14 has the best hardware in the smallest package for the lowest price, the only thing that compares to it is the Sony vaio Z which costs twice as much because its super thin and light and uses a special SSD drive. The macbooks offer lower speccd parts than either the envy or vaio but are just as expensive as the vaio is, so mac's are a bit of a ripoff. You can install windows on the macbooks though by the way.

When configuring your computer (if you do want to upgrade it), get the best discrete videocard offered, CPU upgrade isnt as important but consider that dual core CPU's yield better battery life than quads especially if the system supports switchable graphics, because you cant use that feature with quads.

The dm4t for example only has a 1366x768 screen option, many people don't like that resolution, the envy14 and vaio Z have higher resolution screens: 900p and 1080p, this is a personal preference thing though.

The envy14 even at the non-upgraded base configuration is a powerhouse, the i3 370M is as strong as an i5, its got an ATI 5650 with 1GB of VRAM with DX11 support, there is no other laptop at this size with such a strong GPU in it, it blows the NVIDIA 310M and 330M away, which is what almost all the others are using at this size/weight/pricepoint, if they even offer a discrete GPU! And even more special is the screen, 1600x900 with high color gamut and is extra bright. You could get away with buying a cheaper laptop, but there it is. Also there is a difference between a laptop in a metal case/chassis, and a laptop that is metal colored plastic or has thin metal strips covering plastic just to make it look like its stylish. Im not sure if the non-envy HP's are all metal construction but I seriously doubt that they are.

 

I'd recommend the dm4 too. Go for the integrated graphics, its not that bad. I run engineering design software on my VAIO FZ160 with integrated graphics and everything runs fine (The laptop is 3 years old).

 

the dm4 is very tempting but i am going to sit and wait for soem coupons. i can wait 3 more weeks till i order it wont kill me (hopefully) the dm4t doesn't have a backlit keyboard which sucks. also the new acer timeline 3820t and 4820t seem like they are something to look at as well but those have not been released either.
the toshiba r700 looks awesome with its thinness but it doesn't look like the best bang for the buck compared to all the other laptops we have listed.

 

I agree that the dm4t would fit your needs very well. It seems like you don't really need the extra screen resolution since you have an external monitor anyways, and while it has a weaker GPU than the ENVY 14, it's still discrete should you want to take up some light gaming. The battery life should be on par with the ENVY 14, so you're good there as well.

I wouldn't worry too much about the trackpad. HP is using the same trackpad on all of its laptops, so basically if you want an HP, you just have to deal with the sometimes janky trackpad. I played with it at Microcenter and its really not all that bad - the only time it gets a little wonky is if you are using your index finger to navigate while resting your thumb on the left-click area and your thumb isn't centered properly in the left-click space. Also, I would guess the dm4t and ENVY 14 will have roughly the same ability to cool themselves (or lack thereof - seems to be a minor problem with every HP laptop ever...)

There is a $300 off coupon running this month for all but the ENVY 14,15, and 17. It's: NBE725947. You could use it for an upgrade to the i7 620m and be happy your dm4t is faster than any of the dual core ENVYs

 

hmm with that coupon i can configure the dm4t to come with a ssd. interesting... and damn that adamo by dell is nice but it only comes with 2 gigs of ram... oh well lol. its looking like it will be the dm4t seems like the best bang for the buck but i still have time till i make my order

 

HAH! I am going to upgrade my envy to a i7 640M, my envy shall be the fastest in dual core land, mark my words!

Actually I might get a quad... depends how bad the battery life really is, and what is nice with the envy is that you can add the slice battery, no other laptop has that feature. A quad with the slice might not be so bad.